<p>I'm a junior trying to figure out where i want to go to college(or to at least get an idea). i really am interested in Tech Theatre and completely love it and have been looking at colleges for it. And I've essentially cut it down to four, Baldwin Wallace, Point Park, Northwestern, or CMU....
My favorite one easily is Point Park, there is not a single thing I don't like about it. But, i stand a slight chance(or maybe a tiny chance) of getting into Northwestern or CMU. So my question is, do i pick the lest presitigious school that i simply adore. Or a more selective one that i like but dont love...
Oh, and here are my stats just to give you an idea of what i'm working with</p>
<p>My stats are
2150 on SATS(740 math 720 CR and 690 on Writing)
33 on the ACT
GPA 4.0 unweighted
Class Rank 3 out of 447(top 1%)
nationals for NFL(Forensics) past two years
Quiz team member for 3 years(captain of JV and Varsity)
HS newspaper columnist
Yearbook staff member
NFL President
Theatre Club President
I work pt at a Dairy Queen, about 12 hours a week
I also worked at a community theatre, a regional theatre, a college theatre, and have done over 40 productions in the last 3 years...</p>
Don’t underestimate yourself. You have a darned good shot at Carnegie Mellon and a decent shot at Northwestern.</p>
<p>My advice would be to go with CMU or NW if you get in. If you decide you don’t like it there, it should be fairly easy to transfer elsewhere (e.g. to Point Park). Trying to transfer out of Point Park to a place like Northwestern, however, would be considerably more difficult.</p>
<p>On general principle, it’s better to go with the college you like over a more selective one, but this only applies to a certain extent. Between Northwestern and a state school (lets say it’s low in the top 100 in US News) if there is something you really like about the state school it’s 100% worth it to go there over the most selective place you can get into. </p>
<p>Between Northwestern/CMU and somewhere like Point Park however, I would really advise you to go with one of the first 2 since Point Park is a tier 4 masters university, compared to a top tier national university.</p>
<p>Baldwin-Wallace is another school that I have not heard of, but it is tier one regionally, so if there is something you really like about it over a prestigious national university, go for it.</p>
<p>(I REALLY hate using US News as a basis for comparison, but it does seem to be the best measure of name-brand prestige)</p>
<p>Technical Theater is not a USNWR category so if you are committed to that career path, you can safely ignore the USNWR and any other generalized ranking system. Your only concerns are personal fit, financial fit, and career network after graduation.</p>
<p>If you really like Point Park and your true unstated question is “Should I bother to apply to these other places or not?” The answer depends on whether or not you are confident that Point Park will admit you and that you can afford to pay for it. You may need to find yourself a “true safety” back-up if Point Park doesn’t meet those criteria. I’d suggest that you apply to these four on your short list plus a true safety, and then worry about which one to attend after you have been admitted and have received all of your financial aid offers.</p>
<p>As others have pointed out, your stats are definitely good enough for CMU/NW, but IMO you should attend the school that’s the best fit for YOU, where you feel most comfortable and can be happy. Going to a selective school just for the sake of perceived prestige doesn’t make sense if you’re miserable b/c it’s a bad personal fit for you.</p>
<p>Point Park has a good theatre program, but little else to diostinguish it. If the quality of the academic environment is of any concern to you - and given your stats, it clearly is - I think that you may be underchallenged and disappointed there.</p>
<p>Be aware that at CMU you would take one math class, one English class, and one one-hour computer skills seminar, and the rest would be theatre. You would not really get a higher education; you’d get pre-professional theatre training. At Northwestern, you’d be pursuing a BA degree in a School of Communications with Ivy-caliber students and faculty. Unless you’re ready to commit yourself at this point to no other future besides professional theatre and don’t want to personal impact of a full college education, I’d think that NWern would be a great choice. If you’re uninterested in any future options besides theatre tech, it’d be CMU or any other conservatory MFA program.</p>
<p>Almost always (i.e. 95% of the time) go with the more selective. Almost by definition, you’ll be happier at a better school - you don’t want to be in an institution that is below your standards. Judging by your stats I would just lob an app into every ivy, no need for “backups.” Hope that helps.</p>
<p>thank you for all the help!!!
i guess its just hard because while i like CMU and NW, i love Point Park. But all the advice really helped me weigh it
I’m glad to have gotten both sides of the perspective…and i guess im just afraid of not getting in and thus am worried about admissions to the two tougher schools</p>
<p>Sure, you have great chances of getting in at CMU and NW. BUT you should ultimately choose the school that you LOVE, not just like. You’ll be spending four years of your life there, and it should be somewhere you are going to adore, because of the school not the name. </p>
<p>jgh3115- I disagree. I say go with the one that’s a better fit. Just because a school is “more selective” does not in ANY way mean it’s better for any one student. And “below her standards”? What? She will likely be one of the very top students at the less selective school, as opposed to merely average (or even below) at a more selective school. Nothing wrong with that.</p>
<p>Have you visited all the schools that you are talking about? Sometimes the environment they are in can make a huge difference in whether or not you ultimately decide to attend there. In general, I would go to the school that you like the most and that you feel most comfortable at. Sure, prestige is great, but college is what you make of it, regardless of the school that you decide to attend. If you are still unsure, I would talk with your parents and your guidance counselor at school. It can never hurt to apply to all of the schools and then make the decision once you see where you get in!</p>
<p>I agree with GaDad. I was dumbfounded three or four years ago when another young lady also had her heart set on Point Park for business school, but her stats were much lower than yours. Getting into Northwestern University or Carnegie Mellon is not easy. My primary concern is that you have not articulated the reason or reasons for wanting to attend Point Park other than to study technical theatre. (The other student went tuition free due to her parents jobs & was unlikely to be accepted by higher tiered schools.) It is easy as a junior or sophomore in high school to be star-struck by university level theatre offerings if that is your passion. Apply to all four & your decision will likely be much easier, but, if accepted to all, then a visit to each school should help resolve the issue.</p>
<p>This is the time for mature consultation! What you like as a 17 year old is likely to be drastically different from what you like as a 19 year old.</p>
<p>IF — your likes were static, and you were guaranteed to like Point Park (and excuse my ignorance… I don’t even know where that is) as much during your four years as you think you will like it, then I would say 50/50 on that choice vs. a Top 30, ot Top 15 choice.</p>
<p>But, you are simply not going to be close to the same person in 2-3 years that you are now. So what you are attracted to now is not that relevant!</p>
<p>Fortunately, you’ve got a lot of time to consider this <em>after</em> your true options are identified.</p>